As Bears intend to build a dome, Mike Ditka would not approve
· Yahoo Sports
The passing of larger-than-life NFL legend Mike Ditka has sparked a flood of great stories and clips from Ditka's time in football. Many of them stand out. There's one that's particularly relevant to the Bears' ongoing quest to vacate Soldier Field for a venue with a roof.
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In December 1987, as the Bears prepared for their annual trip to the Metrodome in Minneapolis, Ditka went off on football not played in the elements.
"I just don’t like indoor domes," Ditka said. "They weren't meant for football. Football is meant to play it outside and on grass. . . . Indoor domes should be useful for roller rinks. That's all they should be for. Roller skating."
That same week, Ditka skated through the Bears' offices in rollerblades.
"They were a gift," Ditka said. "[Vikings G.M.] Mike Lynn sprung for them. That might refute everything I've heard about him from his players."
The Bears won the "Rollerdome" game, 30-24, on a late touchdown pass from Mike Tomczak to Dennis Gentry.
"I did what I did about the dome for certain reasons," Ditka said after the victory. "To get the pressure off the players and get it on me. And I think for that point, it worked."
Ditka then made a point that hopefully will resonate with today's coaches.
"If people don't like the things I do, that's just a point of life," Ditka said. "There's gotta be some levity in life, and there's gotta be a little bit of fun had. And we take this whole thing seriously, like it's life and death. It's not life and death. We're gonna go out and play as hard as we can. We're gonna be great representatives of the city of Chicago, the Chicago Bear organization. That's all we're trying to do is be something that people can be proud of. But, you know, if I'm not gonna have any fun on my way there, partner, I just — they got the wrong guy, because, you know, I said a long time ago, maybe the NFL is a little bit too staid and true in its ways. Maybe it takes somebody to loosen them up a little bit. And our players do that, so why shouldn't the coach be a little wacky?"
Current Bears coach Ben Johnson seems to already be living that message. With the first game after Ditka's passing coming against the Packers at Lambeau Field, maybe Johnson will take it up a notch.
Back to Ditka's point. Football really is meant to be played outside and on grass. Unfortunately, the indoor ship seems to have sailed. The Commanders, Browns, Titans, and Chiefs are currently moving toward swapping the elements for a roller rink. And the Bears inevitably will join them, whether that's in Chicago, Arlington Heights, or Hammond, Indiana.
Whoever the coach of the Vikings is at the time should show up for the first game to be played there on roller skates, as the ultimate homage to Ditka.